Officials with the Department of Highways ask motorists to obey barricades

Construction of the 10.6 million interchange at the junction of US 23 and the new US 460 south of Pikeville is now complete. The contractor on the project should finish site cleanup this week and the reduced speed limit/double fine zone should be lifted by early this week. The interchange currently leads to an unfinished highway that is not open to traffic. Breaching barricades to drive on a road that is officially closed is illegal. Officials want motorists to understand that they could be charged with a criminal offense if they try to access state right of way before the barricades are removed. The barricades are in place for safety reasons, and should be respected. The first few miles of the new road could be open to traffic as early as next spring.